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The Twilight
Zone
The Complete Series |
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| Starring: Forest Whitaker, Jessica Simpson, Usher,
Molly Sims, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Alexander, Jason Bateman,
Eriq La Salle, Cloris Leachman, Andrew McCarthy, Jeremy Piven,
Jeremy Sisto, Amber Tamblyn, Dylan Walsh Directed by: Various |
Original Broadcast Date: 2002-2003
DVD Release: 2004
Released by: New Line Home VideoDolby
Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
Widescreen (anamorphic) |
| Spin-offs from the Zone, and a
Predecessor Before The Twilight Zone,
there was Tales of Tomorrow, television’s first sci-fi anthology program. The
intelligent scripts ranged from stories of space flight to dramatizations of familiar
fantasy stories like Frankenstein and What you Need, a story that would
later be dramatized on The Twilight Zone. Good writing and acting made up
for cheap and primitive special effects. Stars included such big names as Lee J. Cobb, Lon
Chaney, Jr., and Veronica Lake, and introduced newcomers like Paul Newman. Image
Entertainment has put out a two-DVD compilation of half-hour shows from the first season,
which aired in 1951-52 (***). The black-and-white transfers, which appear to be from both
film and kinescope, are scratchy and tattered and often fuzzy, yet sometimes amazingly
clear and focused, and the sound is quite serviceable mono.
Tales of the Unexpected was a British half-hour show
filmed in color that featured stories by fantasy writer Roald Dahl. The author himself
served as host for the episodes, disarmingly disclosing how he came to write each tale.
The scripts were droll and witty, superbly acted, and tightly directed. Stars included
John Alderton, Joan Collins, Joseph Cotten, Michael Gambon, Susan George, John Gielgud,
Julie Harris, John Mills, Derek Jacobi, and Elaine Stritch. Acorn Media has released a
four-DVD set containing the first two seasons (***1/2). The transfers are splendid, with
excellent color and sometimes astonishing resolution. Good mono sound, too.
Sliders, which ran for three seasons on Fox
and then a few more on the Sci-Fi Channel, is currently in reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel.
It was a show that would surely have interested Rod Serling. Beginning in 1995, it
originally starred affable Jerry O’Connell as a graduate student who discovered a way
to "slide" between parallel universes. Along with three companions,
O’Connell got stuck in alternate universes while trying to find his way back to his
own. Each show featured an adventure in one of the alternate worlds, and it was
fascinating and innovative to see what Earth might have become, given different
circumstances in its history. Universal has released the first two seasons on five DVDs,
with a "making of" featurette and a photo gallery on the sixth disc (***1/2).
The show was an hour per episode on TV and was filmed in standard full frame. The DVD
transfers are color rich and very detailed, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround tracks are
very effective. The presentation box is unusual and looks cool, the discs given a floating
appearance by sliding them into slots in a foam base, but it is a nuisance to actually
use.
...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com |
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Forest Whitaker replaces Serling as the host and that is a
step backward. I have nothing but respect for this gifted actor, but as TZ host he
seems uncomfortable and out of place. You might say, "so what," as he has no
starring role, but in the older episodes Rod Serling often set a tone that pervaded an
entire episode.
The shows are cast with familiar but not necessarily famous
faces; instead, there are B actors who do excellent work but are not household names.
Everyone is sure to have his or her own favorite episode.
Here are some of mine: three of the shows are what one
could call of the "heartwarming" variety. "Azoth the Avenger is a Friend of
Mine" stars Rory Culkin as an abused kid who is helped to realize his potential by a
comicbook character come to life. "Found and Lost" stars Brian Austin Green as a
hardened, corrupt businessman who gets a chance to revisit his past, correct his biggest
mistake, and reclaim the girl he loved. In "Developing," a woman’s deceased
husband shows her the way to peace and acceptance by mysteriously appearing in the
photographs she takes of others.
Many of the shows are timely and topical. In a remake of
"The Monsters on Maple Street," with the title slightly altered from the
original, the fear of terrorists replaces that of being scared of alien monsters, and the
government has a hand in the manipulations rather than alien beings. "How Much do You
Love Your Kid" satirizes reality shows in a terrifying way as a young mother tries to
find her kidnapped son in 60 minutes while the cameras roll. "The Executions of Grady
Finch" plays around with different views on the death penalty. And all throughout the
series, one cannot help but notice that this was the most seamlessly multi-ethnic show on
television.
The show was produced in widescreen format, and the DVD
transfers are done that way. The results are first-rate. The picture always has rich color
and excellent definition, with many scenes that are startling in their realism. The audio
has wide dynamic and frequency range. Mark Snow’s music sounds wonderful; it often
makes a big difference in the quality of a particular episode. The surrounds are used more
for atmosphere than to startle.
There are no extras, but the printed insert is more
thorough than usual in listing each episode with a brief synopsis. I like the
flip-file-type packaging, which is much easier to use than those accordion foldouts so
popular with Fox. Tune in to the Zone and you will not be disappointed. |
